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Pyunma is a man of average height with an athletic body; a light gray, flat crewcut; black eyes; dark gray skin, and prominent upper and bottom lips. Unlike his orignal depiction in previous adaptations, his African heritage has been drawn realistically as opposed to the "Blackface" appearance taken from the manga.

He usually wears a red, double breasted military uniform worn by the 00 Cyborgs, with padded shoulders and black arm bands just beneath them. On his waist is a black belt with a holster for his weapon, a gun with three shooting modes.

In the three-part OVA "Conclusion: GOD'S WAR", the Pyunma of that timeline wears a deep blue version of the uniform, and also bears a red scarf.

Pyunma was formerly a guerilla fighter born in the Muamba Republic. He fought against the tyrant ruling his homeland alongside his friends Kabore and Masmado. During a nocturnal fight, Pyunma was caught in the crossfire, a moment of vulnerability that Black Ghost chose to exploit. He was kidnapped by Black Ghost's agents and turned into a 00 cyborg against his will. It would be a long time before his friends saw him again.

After taking care of the tyrant ruling his country as well as the Black Ghost agents residing in the area, Pyunma found closure with his past and moved on, continuing to oppose Black Ghost with his fellow 00 cyborgs. However, Pyunma would later have a near-death experience in the Underground Empire of Yomi arc. While fighting a cybernetically-enhanced animal with Joe Shimamura, he was nearly obliterated and had to be reconstructed by Dr. Gilmore.

When Pyunma discovered his new "upgrade", he was upset at first, since it made him less "human". But after a talk with Albert Heinrich, he later accepted his upgraded body and even started using it openly in battle.

Pyunma's body has been fitted a special set of mechanical lungs that allows him to breathe underwater at any depth, as well as endure underwater pressure at deeper ocean levels. As shown in several episodes, Pyunma is an extremely capable fighter while submerged, to the point where he can attack without relying on seacraft.

Because of his former life as a soldier, Pyunma is the 00 Cyborg who has actual combat experience. One of the things that come with it is his knowledge in guerilla warfare, which he applies to his fights against Black Ghost.

After his near-death experience and being upgraded by Dr. Gilmore, Pyunma's body became extremely streamlined underwater, enhancing his durability and allowing him to swim at higher speeds. This came in handy in a later episode when the 00 Cyborgs were attacked by cybernetic sea creatures.

In the three-part OVA "CONCLUSION: GOD'S WAR", Pyunma's powers were given a second upgrade, this time by Ivan Whisky. He is able to mentally control the water pressure around him and even inside his enemies, causing them to explode from the inside out.

Pyunma's character redesign has been adopted from the 1980's animated film "Legend of the Super Galaxy", after his "Blackface" appearance drew negative criticisms for portraying an African racial stereotype.

While the visual development trailer for the 2001 series (see Gallery) had Pyunma's country stated to be Kenya (as it was eventually revealed to be in the manga), it was altered to be the fictional "Muamba Republic", for purposes of adapting and modernizing the Vietnam arc from the manga and to not risk involving any actual locations.

In a coincidence, Cyborg 008's upgraded form loosely resembles the costume of the DC Comics superhero Aquaman.

He also bears a resemblence to the Young Justice incarnation of Aqualad; it should be noted that Young Justice debuted quite some time after this incarnation of Cyborg 009.